Proper Japanese term for "Dojo Founder"

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[jamesf]

I'm working on a project in my dojo to replace the nafuda (nameplates) on our nafudagake (nameplate-hanger/rack) with something that has a better sense of permanence and artistry than our current setup. One change I'm pursuing is replacing the rank/title plates such that they all have appropriate Kanji with smaller, thinner Roman letters with the transliteration and/or translation alongside.

One title I seem to be missing in my research of Japanese terminology is for "dojo founder". As our dojo founder retired from teaching some years ago, our Dojo-cho is another, so it seems like there should be some distinction of titles here. I asked our Dojo-cho about it already, but his answer amounted to, "Hmm, I don't know, either. I'll have to ask around!" (He doesn't mind me pursuing it independently, as he still gets the final okay.)

As to the actually terminology, I'm looking for what would be considered proper or traditional, not necessarily a direct translation. For any help you can give, I would be greatful, arigato gozaimasu!

[Hellis]

Why not simply use the term ` Dojo Founder ` it would be clear for all to see and understand.
I trained in the 1950s at the famous ` Hut Dojo ` it was the very first Aikido Dojo in the UK - It is still revered to this day because of all the Japanese and English teachers that taught there.
I believe the Japanese for ` Hut ` is Yamagoya ? - To say I trained at the ` Yamagoya Dojo ` in the 1950s does not have the same old charm as ` The Hut Dojo `.

Henry Ellis
Co-author `Positive Aikido`
http://kazuo-chiba-sensei.blogspot.com/
http://britishaikido.blogspot.com/

[jamesf]

Why not simply use the term ` Dojo Founder ` it would be clear for all to see and understand.

If I have to fall back to that, I will. But my goal is to combine artwork with a learning tool, and I have time to work with, I already expect the greater project to take around a year (weekends and evenings when I'm not already busy with other activities ...like Aikido practice).

The basic design would have the Kanji characters arranged vertically on the center-line of the nafuda, with a romaji transliteration in smaller characters on the left, and the effective English translation in a likewise style on the right.

Another fun reason to do it this way is that we also have some native Japanese speakers in our dojo. I've already approached most of them to ask for their names in Kanji, so there's no going back now!

[robin_jet_alt]

There is no technical term that I can think of, but you could always go with something like 道場設立者.

[judojo]

We like to inquire from the original Japanese Aikido Dojo. We highly respect the Aikikai and the Japan Aikido Association and we all love this organizations.

[jamesf]

Update: After much research, and bouncing ideas off a dojo friend who is a native-Japanese speaker, I finally found a term that was close enough, though still rejected ("no, that one could be for Ō-Sensei"), that it finally gave her an idea for a counter-suggestion. Her suggestion was so elegantly simple, it settled the debate:

初代 道場長 Shodai Dōjōchō meaning: "1st-generation Dōjō-chief".

[robin_jet_alt]

Brilliant! I love it!

[batemanb]

Shodai Dojocho translates to first dojocho (head of the dojo), but Soushisha may be a better term for the first person to make the dojo, the originator ($BAO(B$B;O(B$B<T(B).

[KenJT]

道場開設者

開設 - KaiSetsu (Founding)
者 - Sha (Person)

I came across this "道場開設者" at other Japanese dojo web sites.
Ken J T